I spent the first hour of our mandated rest day doing exactly what Batman would have told me not to do: wandering aimlessly. The bright morning sun of File Island filtered through the digital canopy, casting warm, pixelated shadows across the dirt paths of Primary Village. Beside me, Tentomon buzzed along at shoulder height, his transparent wings catching the light. We had spent the early part of the morning helping a group of Koromon patch up a wooden fence that had been splintered during the battle with Devimon's forces but not fixed like everything else. It felt good to do something simple, something that didn't involve dodging dark energy blasts or calculating the trajectory of an Ultimate-level threat. But my mind was still racing, cataloging every detail of the village, mapping the exits, and assessing the local population.
As we made our way toward the main entrance of the village, the quiet atmosphere shifted into a bustling, noisy crowd. A massive line of Digimon, ranging from floating baby types to towering, muscular Champions, was queued up in front of a large, freshly constructed wooden building. Colorful banners hung from its wide awning, and the scent of roasted meat and sweet berries drifted from its open windows.
I stopped in my tracks, crossing my arms as I analyzed the bottleneck of digital creatures. "What's going on over there?" I asked aloud, not entirely expecting a clear answer given how chaotic the village had been since we arrived.
Surprisingly, Tentomon answered without missing a beat. "Oh, that's just the general store reopening, that's all. It's the only one on File Island, so it gets a massive amount of business, as you can imagine. You can really only find them in big, established villages, to be clear those are the safe zones I told you about when we first met" he said, buzzing around my head in an excited loop.
I raised an eyebrow, my detective instincts immediately locking onto the tactical possibilities. "A general store? What exactly do they sell?"
"You can buy pretty much anything in there!" Tentomon said, flying even faster now, clearly eager to get a look inside the brightly painted doors. "They have food, drinks, medicine, and clothing. They even have special items that can let different Digimon use attacks from other Attributes. Like, if you had the right item, you could let a dark-type Digimon use a light-based skill, or give an ice-type a fire attack to cover their weaknesses."
I stared at the building, my mind instantly jumping to the combat applications. An item that allowed cross-attribute attacks would fundamentally change our battlefield dynamics. If we could give Gomamon a long-range fire attack or provide Gabumon with a temporary healing skill, our survival rate on the Server Continent would skyrocket. "Wait, they have stuff that lets you get abilities you don't normally have? We definitely have to check this out. What else do they have?" I asked, already taking a step toward the back of the line.
Tentomon quickly darted in front of my chest, holding up his red claws to stop me. "I don't know everything they have in there. I've never been inside before. They have a strict age limit. No one under twenty-five is allowed to enter that's when you're considered a adult Digimon but who knows your a different species they might make a exception for you."
I blinked, doing the rapid mental math on our Digimon's lifespans. "Twenty-five? So out of all of us, only Gatomon is old enough to go inside?"
"Exactly," Tentomon said, joining me as I reluctantly stepped back from the massive line. "Not to mention, that stuff for learning abilities is incredibly expensive from what I've heard. We could never get enough money to buy enough for all eight of us before you guys came."
I reached down, my leather gloves brushing against the hidden compartments of my utility belt. Batman always made sure I carried a few hundred US dollars in emergency cash, but he didn't think crisp Gotham bills were going to buy magical attribute items in a digital dimension. "Wait, they take money here? I was under the impression you guys still had a trade and barter system going on. What do you use for money exactly? And where can we get some?"
Tentomon looked visibly confused, his large green eyes blinking slowly. "What do you mean, where can we get some? You have plenty of money! Think about all the corrupted Digimon we've beaten since you arrived."
I froze, the pieces rapidly snapping together in my head. I thought back to the very first fights in the forest, the glowing metallic coins that had materialized in the dirt after we defeated the corrupted Goburimon, and the larger piles of coins that dropped after the massive battle here in the village. "What... we have money? How... wait, do you mean the Dungeon Coins we've been getting? That's your currency?"
I slapped a hand against my forehead, feeling incredibly stupid. Tentomon did say that we can use them to get stuff and I should have realized the corrupted Digimon wouldn't just drop glowing coins for absolutely nothing. But between fighting for our lives, unlocking ancient crests, and dealing with Devimon, I never really got a chance to sit down and ask about the local economy.
"Well, it's not your fault," Tentomon said gently, hovering closer to my shoulder. "You weren't wrong earlier. Besides the general store, we do only use the trade and barter system in all the other villages across the island and mainland. Because besides those special items, Digimon can usually get everything else they need themselves by foraging or crafting."
"I see," I muttered, my brain already shifting into logistics mode. We had a massive stockpile of Dungeon Coins sitting in our collective inventories, and a shop that sold game-changing combat items, but only one team member old enough to legally make the purchase. "You know, how about we get everyone together? That way you only have to explain this once. Plus, I'm sure the others would love to get something for their partners too before we cross the ocean tomorrow."
I pulled out my Digivice and tapped the communication frequency, calling Wally, Kaldur, and Conner. I told them to meet me at the village center near the fountain, keeping the message brief but urgent. Within ten minutes, the rest of the team arrived. Wally jogged over, holding a skewer of roasted meat in one hand and looking vastly better than he had yesterday. Conner walked quietly beside him, his posture relaxed, while Kaldur approached from the eastern gate, dusting wood shavings off his hands.
Once everyone was gathered around the bubbling waters of the central fountain, I explained everything Tentomon had just told me about the general store, the attribute items, the age restriction, and most importantly, our vast and completely unused wealth.
"Okay, hold on," Wally said, chewing quickly and waving his free hand in a circle. "Can any of you little guys explain why your world's currency is just magically appearing when we beat corrupted Digimon? It's literally like loot dropping in a video game."
Wally looked around the circle of Digimon, expecting a logical explanation, but his confusion only increased when Gabumon, Biyomon, and the rest of the partners collectively shook their heads.
"We don't know what a video game is but anyway we don't know why it happens," Biyomon chirped softly, ruffling her pink feathers. "It just happens. But we can confirm Dungeon Coins only drop for corrupted Digimon when they die, not normal Digimon."
"Yeah!" Gomamon added, splashing his flippers against the stone edge of the fountain. "The only reason we even know that much is because we overheard some older Digimon talking about it a while ago, long before Ikaris picked us to be your partners."
Tentomon buzzed down to land on the edge of the fountain next to Gomamon. "From what the elders said, the only other methods to get Dungeon Coins are to either find treasure chests out exploring in the deep wilderness, which isn't safe because some of the wild less intelligent Digimon are incredibly territorial and will do their absolute best to chase you out, or to enter a Dungeon."
Kaldur crossed his arms, his brow furrowing. "A Dungeon? You mean there are specific structures designated as such within this world?"
"We don't know much about them," Gabumon said quietly, pulling his fur pelt tighter around his shoulders. "You have to be at least fifty years old and at the Champion level to enter one. So even Gatomon can't go inside. Nor will any of the adult Digimon we know talk to us about it. They just brush us off and say we'll know more when we're older."
Conner frowned, his sharp eyes scanning the trees at the edge of the village square. The idea of hidden, high-level zones restricted by age sounded like a manufactured system, a set of rules imposed by an outside force. "Do you think we should ask Ikaris? He would probably know the exact reason, right?"
Before any of us could voice our agreement, a sudden, blinding flash of golden light erupted directly behind Conner. The air pressure in the courtyard shifted instantly, accompanied by a soft, resonant hum.
"You called me, young heroes?"
The calm, deeply authoritative voice of Ikaris echoed across the stones. I almost dropped into a defensive stance out of pure reflex, my hand hovering over my belt, while Wally nearly choked on his food. Ikaris stood tall and serene, his golden armor tunic gleaming in the digital sunlight, completely unfazed by the sheer terror his sudden appearance had caused.
"As I said before, any questions about the Digital World, I can answer," Ikaris continued, offering a polite, minimal bow.
I narrowed my eyes beneath my mask, my suspicion flaring hot and fast. He had arrived the very second Conner suggested his name. "Were you watching us?" I asked, keeping my tone perfectly level. It was the only logical reason he could have known we needed him.
Ikaris turned his calm gaze toward me, his expression remaining perfectly calm. "No. The only time I actively watch you is when you are engaged in combat. Other than that, I am busy with my own divine responsibilities. But I felt your friend call my name with the direct intention to ask me questions, so I came right over. Let this be a lesson to all of you: names have power. Do not use them lightly unless you truly want that person's attention on you."
I stared at him, looking for the lie, but his posture was completely relaxed. He wasn't acting. He was speaking an absolute truth of this dimension. He had literally felt Conner's intent through the fabric of the world.
Kaldur placed a calming hand on my shoulder, nodding in agreement that Ikaris was speaking the truth as this was basic info any magic user was aware of befor stepping forward to address the Eternal. "We will remember that lesson, Ikaris. But yes, we have some questions about the Dungeon Coins we have been gathering. Why are they appearing when we defeat a corrupted Digimon? Also, our partners mentioned something about Dungeons. Can you explain this to us?"
Ikaris offered a faint, almost imperceptible smile. "Ah. Yes, I can see why you and all the young Digimon are confused about the nature of the currency even most adult Digimon don't know. Call it a reward from the Creator himself."
He paused, letting the weight of the title hang in the air, ensuring every Digimon within earshot was listening.
"The Creator does not consider the corrupted Digimon as truly real or alive anymore," Ikaris explained, his voice taking on a somber, reverent tone. "Their data has been entirely consumed by the darkness. But they were still his creations once. So, as a reward for putting them out of their misery—because there is, unfortunately, no cure for the corruption—anyone who grants them peace is gifted Dungeon Coins. The amount varies based on how strong the corrupted creature was, but that is the reason why you and everyone else are receiving them."
The silence that followed his words was heavy. All around the fountain, the Digimon who had overheard the explanation stood completely still, their eyes wide with awestruck reverence. The idea that the glowing coins were a direct, personal gift from the supreme being of their universe, a token of gratitude for ending the suffering of the fallen, shifted the entire atmosphere of the village.
Conner looked down at his hands, his jaw tightening as he processed the revelation. Wally swallowed hard, the joke about video game loot completely forgotten. Even I felt a strange knot form in my stomach. I had treated the coins like tactical resources, completely blind to the tragic, divine weight they apparently carried in this world.
***
I leaned back against the cool marble of my throne, swirling a goblet of dark wine as I watched the holographic projection hovering above the dais in my Divine Space.
Ikaris was truly a masterpiece of my own design. His delivery was flawless, his tone perfectly balancing sorrow and divine authority. And the best part? The sheer, unquestioning devotion it inspired in both the native Digimon and my team of young heroes.
There was, of course, no benevolent, sorrowful Creator weeping over the lost souls of corrupted data. There was only me, the Dungeon God, running a mathematically precise system designed to push divers to their absolute breaking points. The Dungeon Coins were nothing more than an automated economic mechanic, a programmed incentive to ensure the heroes engaged in continuous, escalating combat to afford the gear they needed to survive. Not to say I wouldn't be a little sad if the actually real Digimon died but that neither here nor there.
But mortals, especially idealistic heroes like Robin, Aqualad, Superboy, and Kid Flash, needed a narrative to justify the endless slaughter of their enemies. If I told them it was just a game mechanic, they would hesitate. They would question the morality of the dungeon. But by framing the execution of corrupted Digimon as an act of divine mercy, an impossible tragedy with no cure, I had completely absolved them of their guilt. I had given them a holy mandate to kill.
*System Alert: Hero psychological alignment stabilizing. Combat hesitation parameters reduced by 34%. Economy engagement predicted to increase.*
I smiled, taking a slow sip of the wine. The seed regarding the restricted, age-gated Dungeons had also been perfectly planted by the partners. Right now, the heroes were focused on Etemon and the Server Continent, but eventually, their curiosity and need for greater power would drive them to seek out those hidden depths.
For now, though, they needed to focus on the general store. I actually got the idea for the special items from the Digimon Survive game I played I had specifically stocked the inventory with items that would seriously drain their current coin reserves dry but would unquestionably be helpful if they got the right ones, ensuring that when they finally stepped onto the shores of the Server Continent, they would be hungry for more combat to rebuild their wealth.
"Enjoy your shopping spree, heroes," I murmured to the empty throne room, my glowing green eyes locked on the projection of Dick Grayson as he mentally began calculating how to divide their newfound holy wealth. "Because the desert is waiting, and Etemon isn't going to show you any mercy."